Disregard of Welbeing
by Ethras
Summary: Siarnaq and Aeolus take an average summer hike, both unaware of malfunctions that spoil the excursion.
1. Stubborn Naïvety

Proceeding just a bit unsteadily, the ninja leaned off a tree for a moment, having taken a narrow route in order to have something to hold his weight if he need be he grab it.

Since the following day, the reploid was losing strength, it seemed. In awakening from the day's sleep cycle, Siarnaq had lingered an additional hour due to apparent lethargy. Such symptoms were abnormal, but without explanation, they would be labeled as nothing more than technicalities he'd have to deal with. After all, he could not bring himself to cancel a meet up. Not with this man.

Slightly concerned from this manner of walking, Model P managed to escape the reploid's bag, then flew in front of Siarnaq to block him from progressing.

"You should sit down," he uttered, now giving his reason, "It's been half an hour and your inner gyroscope is still slightly unaligned." It wouldn't do to have his biomatch trip to a malfunction.

But the ninja merely paused, his body swaying a bit as he pointed ahead, replying, "DESTINATION IN SIGHT," moving his head to avoid Model P in order to continue forward. It was clear from this that he had no intention of really halting until he reached it.

The biometal let out a sigh, floating a bit ahead to at least keep an eye on the area. No enemies in the proximity… At least he did not have many worries.

But for the death of him, he couldn't understand what could have been causing Siarnaq's malfunction. The reploid kept himself in relatively good health; while yes, he never ate, it was unlikely to be related to the issue, as it was unnecessary for him to eat at all.

Suddenly thinking on their destination, Phantom mused quietly to himself, thinking that perhaps his dear brother might be able to assist him on finding the cause of the problem. Harpuia did, at least, in their small form, now hold the power to pinpoint weaknesses, among other things…

"Hm…" The biometal let out a short pensive sound, and in this thought, found himself at the door just a moment too quick. Halting a few centimetres from it, he turned to face his biomatch, who made it there shortly after.

The ninja knocked once, then twice, and in a moment, heard the familiar footsteps of his closest acquaintance.

It was Aeolus who opened the door, looking surprised for a second before a smile took his face.

"I nearly thought you wouldn't come, Siarnaq; you've never been late before." It was several minutes after the hour that he had arrived. Of course, it was of no issue; the green garbed man had just taken more time to prepare for their walk, which would have proceeded regardless of if he had or had not shown.

When the reploid did not find anything to respond to, the human male let out an amused scoff. "Ah, never mind that. Give me a moment more and we'll head off."

Aeolus turned to reenter the house, the ninja following in just a few steps as well, if only to see what the man could be doing now. Observing his actions in the kitchen, it seemed he was retrieving some prepared food and a modern canteen from his fridge unit, placing it into a satchel that matched the colours of his outfit fairly well.

Model H flew over to him, and, after exchanging a few words, took its' place by the other biometal's side.

"It's good to see you again, brother," Model H spoke directly upon a private communications line.

In a short moment, Model P soon returned the gesture, "...Likewise." Pausing to possibly say something else, he instead turned to look out the open door, emitting the sound of a sigh. He'd have said more, but with their biomatches nearing full preparation for departure, he thought it best to save it for later.

Quickly running up the stairs, in another moment, Aeolus came back with his sword heirloom, the belt now upon his waist to let it sit on his hip. With all things prepared, the male picked up the bag from the kitchen counter, slung the strap over his shoulder, tugging it once, then twice – if only out of habit – before returning to the doorway where Siarnaq stood waiting.

"Alright; let's go." With Aeolus prompting their departure, and a nod in response, the two and their biometals set off up the path of the very mountain that separated their homes.


	2. Close Call

It started out as what was now usual for them; completely silence in their trek up the main path, with only their foot steps, breathing, and nature's white noise to accompany them. Siarnaq quite favoured this time, and it was a positive fact that his partner appreciated it enough not to disturb it either, at least for a long while.

"I know you're not one for small talk," he began as they started up a rocky patchy, "but it truly is a beautiful day out." The human male pushed his fringe out of the way – in order to block the sunlight from both of his eyes – with his right hand. He was looking for a proper path to climb, as they'd already long since ventured past the road most followed.

On the matter of the day, Siarnaq thought to himself that temperatures were above his preferable levels, but that otherwise he agreed that the conditions were favourable. There was hardly a cloud in the sky, and the light wind was cool and refreshing. The reploid appreciated this factor greatly, pausing a short moment to let the breeze hit his face. Suddenly, he let out a cough, muffled by his scarf. Perhaps, he thought in addition, that it'd be more pleasant if the humidity had been higher as well. His throat was a bit on the low lubricated side...

"Our good luck, huh," Aeolus said, clearly not looking for a response. Still, it was impossible not to hear the satisfaction in this as he exhaled. The man enjoyed nature just as much as he did.

Normally Siarnaq did not partake in activities that held no purpose to him, but this excursion was under exception due to many minor reasons that the ninja no longer strictly kept track of.

It might have been that he did it so that his past partner would not go it alone, which would be dangerous in Maverick lands such as the one they lived in. A person who constantly proved useful for him to know had to stay safe for his own future benefits' sake. Perhaps that was part of it. Or maybe he went out of his own choice and free will. The reploid wasn't actually sure anymore, as he'd done this activity with the human male a few times already and the exception he had allowed had already lost meaning.

Oh well. It was trivial and unimportant, and what required more focus from him now was calculating his steps so he did not fall. The ground they were crossing now was unstable around the slopes, so one wrong step and he'd fall a painful distance. This was highly unfavourable, and as such, Siarnaq tried hard to keep what balance he had steady.

And yet, despite his caution, his unsteadiness had him misplace his foot. In the seconds that followed, his eyes widened, and the reploid heard a sharp intake of breath, but he was unsure who it belonged to as it was too in the moment to be sure. With gravity sending not just broken gravel down the side of the slope, but him as well, his systems sent a faux rush of clarity to his brain. In that moment, he thought it terribly unfortunate that he'd have to end the trip for his injuries gained, but...

Siarnaq suddenly felt a hand grab onto his arm.

Looking up now, the reploid saw Aeolus look him in straight the eyes before pulling him back onto the main trail. He fell into his chest before regaining his posture, taking a breath from surprise.

"...Now, that was close, wasn't it." It didn't seem like a question, and even if it were, it needed no answer. That had admittedly been a very quick save. It took the man a moment, but in his rush to catch him, he had hardly thought to let go until several seconds had passed. Once he did, that same man let out a sigh. "You ought to be more careful." Aeolus shook his head and turned back to the road. "It'd be a shame to end this outing early." With that, the man began walking again, the ninja somewhat lagged to followed.

Keeping closer to his partner now, Siarnaq thought on this miscalculation with displeasure. How could he have allowed himself to take such a step? It was abnormal of him, as he knew of his own abilities well. Being clumsy was not something he identified with. It especially bothered him how despite all his concentration. He'd done exactly what he had aspired _not_ to do. ...What irony, the reploid thought, wondering just what was wrong with himself today.


	3. Shifting of the Winds

Snapping back to focus of the landscape around it, it seemed they had reached the summit.

"Ahh, would you look at that," Aeolus said, revelling yet again in the vastness of the land.

On the human's side of the mountain, a lovely view could be seen of the forest below them. However... On the reploid's side, what awaited the outskirts of the forest were broken car debris and scrap metal galore. The scrapyard having taken a devastated area of forest for it's own, the contrast it had with the thick forest was somewhat humourous. At least, for Aeolus. Either way, it held a quiet solitude that both men prefered.

Sitting down for lunch, the two males settled down upon the rocky butte to take a well needed break. As Aeolus began to bite into his sandwich, the ninja reclined with the aid of a slanted boulder, resting his hydraulics and optics, if only just for the moment...

Model P, after seeing Siarnaq's eyes close, turned round to speak with his brother. The green biometal was laying beside his biomatch, only rising once the other had gotten close enough.

"Is there something you wish to speak about, Phantom?" it asked, turning it's body slightly to the side to express curiosity.

"...Yes, there is. Come with me." Model P turned, beckoning the other to float with him a bit farther away from Aeolus and closer to his own biomatch. "I am aware you have weakness checking abilities now, Harpuia," A pause. "I have concerns about Siarnaq's health... He has been acting strange, and I'm unable to deduce the cause of it."

From his brother's words, Model H assumed he was asking for an assessment. "I understand, I'll take a look." Coming a bit closer behind the reploid, the colour of the biometal's optics shifted, moving to use his key ability. It was then, he went silent. "Well, that's certainly not good."

"What is?" Model P asked.

"His internal systems are under a lot of strain," Model H replied.

"Can you tell why, Harpuia?"

"..." He was silent a moment, contemplating this. "I can't be sure, no. That's not within my abilities. I _can_ say, however, that your biomatch is _not_ in pristine condition. He should rest once we return."

"Convincing him will be difficult," he snapped back, frustrated. Model P had tried numerous times to tell him to rest today, but the reploid had ignored his suggestions every time. "I have tried, futilely," he let out a scoff. "I am but a soul within a rock..."

"Do what you can. I am going to return to Aeolus' side now."

"Alright," he muttered, the two of them both floating back to their respective biomatches.

Suddenly then, Siarnaq stirred. His confusion was fleeting, as he reestablished his location fairly quickly. Had he fallen asleep a moment? No, that was impossible...

"Napping?" his partner asked innocently, letting out a short but silent laugh, looking back out to the land below. "_Too_ peaceful, perhaps," he commented.

Giving Aeolus a bewildered expression, he eventually shrugged, not sure how else to respond to that. The reploid wasn't sure _what_ had just happened, but disregarding it was a lot easier than not. It didn't _seem_ important.

Getting up again, it was only now that Siarnaq decided he'd best replenish his surprisingly low water levels. Pulling his sling bag to his lap, he opened it, taking out a canteen. Lowering his scarf, Siarnaq pulled his mask down in order to bring it to his lips. Compared to his whole body, the water seemed fairly cool, so it was a lot more 'refreshing' than the temperature he usually drank water at. Downing the contents of his canteen, he soon let out a sigh.

It came as a surprise when he heard sissling in his ears, coming from...within him? He took a breath and held it, trying to hear better where it was coming from, unsure if it was really what he thought it was. After all, how could that be? It was unfathomable. But then, when he let his breath go, steam spilled from his lips.

It took him a split second to comprehend this. Steam. From his mouth? How? It wasn't possible! He didn't understand, why would the water he drank be reacting this way? In a quick attempt to keep it hidden, Siarnaq held his mouth, only for the steam to exit his nose. It was unavoidable. He could not hide this...!

In all this, Aeolus was silent, his demeanour growing serious. He had seen the steam. And for a moment longer, he did not speak, merely closing his pouch with his gaze directed at his lap.

"You, of all people, would come hiking with me... While ill," he shook his head, putting his hand into his fringe. "I'd have thought someone like you would have put logic above me...!"

Ill? What did he mean by that? He was _fine_, just...a couple malfunctions, nothing he couldn't deal with himself, right? ._..Right?_ ...No. He was telling himself otherwise, and he knew it. ...Time to accept it and banish his irrational ignorance. The reploid looked away in some hard to read shame, another heavy puff of smoke coming out of his nose as he gave a heavy sigh.

The male turned his posture, moving closer to his body to feel the reploid's forehead. Siarnaq moved back but ultimately did not manage to stop him from this. Quickly, the man checked his temperature, soon recoiling from this touch, the back of his hand slightly reddened.

"You are burning up," he said a bit strongly, giving him a frown as he rubbed his warm hand with the other. "I can't believe you wouldn't just stay home." Standing up now, he took hold of the reploid by the arms, not giving him a choice in rising. "We are going back."


End file.
